On Sunday 23rd November 2025, four of Gravesham’s junior contingent, made it to the delayed Kent Fencing Union Junior Championships. Henry, James, Theodora and Alex, despite some competition nerves, all managed to fence exceptionally well, far surpassing their expectations.

In the boys event, the brothers of James and Alex found themselves in the same competition. After the poules, elder sibling, Alex, was top seed, with younger brother, James, seeded fourth overall, which unfortunately placed them in direct competition at the semi-final stage, with the elder of the two boys claiming the win. Keeping up his winning streak, Alex then went on to claim the gold, with a convincing 10-0 victory in the final and, James taking home the bronze medal.

Unfortunately, this report writer does not have any further score sheets to report, on both Theodora and Henry. Suffice to say, Henry had a cracking day too, in his age, at his second competition, coming away with a silver medal; a sure sign that his technique is improving and the nerves are abating!

Theodora was at her first competition and, with a larger poule of entrants had more to do on the day. She kept the pre-event nerves at bay and despite no medal on this occasion, showed great potential, scoring at least three hits against each of her opponents- a mighty feat considering how much more practice some of her opponents get and, a sure sign that she will be a real contender at future events.

Apologies too for no photo of the medallists with their spoils, but the meet organiser left them on his kitchen table on the day of the event! They are currently on their way to Coach Will via Royal Mail!

Well done to our junior fencers and we look forward to reporting on more of your future fencing exploits and successes!

Second, winner, third;

Paul, Sandy, Peter

After a quiet start to numbers, for the evening, possibly caused by way of holidays, half term across the schools and bad traffic at both the Dartford Tunnel and the A2/M2, numbers finally picked up to ten people and it was decided to go ahead with the competition, using a poule unique.  Everybody would fight everybody else and, latecomers could easily be added later on.  Each bout was the first to three hits or two minutes, whichever came first.  We slowly but surely made our way through the night, even though Paul wanted to ‘crack on’ at a much quicker pace, even though the scorer was concerned for his welfare, having had three weeks away, one of which was a gluttonous holiday!  I think he was thankful for the scorer’s empathy!

Sandy took an early lead winning his matches, but was foiled in the clean sweep by Paul.  As the evening wore on, Sandy was keen to keep an eye on Paul’s progress, only to find that he had been thwarted in his attempts to victory by both Steve and Ellora. The quiet assassin of the group is always Peter and, he proved once again to be deadly, tying with Paul on seven wins apiece, but only losing out on a joint second on countback, having been beaten by Paul in their duel. 

Other fencers quietly going about their matches were both Mark and Claudia, who managed a very respectable four wins apiece, but with Claudia claiming the fourth spot by way of countback.  Then, the rest of the pack were too close to call.   Steve, Ellora and newcomer Tom were all tied in 6^th place, with three wins apiece and not even countback able to separate them as Steve had beaten Ellora; Ellora had beaten Tom and Tom had beaten Steve!  Although, Steve could be well within his rights to claim some sympathy, given that his sword broke in one of his early fights and he was duelling with an unfamiliar sword.

Then bringing up the rear were latecomer Torran with two wins and ninth place and finally Jake, with one win and tenth place.  It was not Jake’s night either in the sword stakes.  Initially, his sword had a screw problem, meaning that he spent most matches trying to fence with a loose handle before eventually giving up and using Claudia’s sword – something he was clearly not happy about (and even now I’m sure Claudia gave him one of her less stable swords to gain an advantage!).

All in all, there were some good shots and the newcomers of Tom and Torran showed that they too can fight with the best of them.  Well done to everybody on the night and we look forward to what Mark has in store for the November competition. 

A particular well done to our winner Sandy – no trophy photo because Mark brought the wrong bag – but we did manage to get a handsome picture of our top three; Paul, Sandy and Peter.  Well done everybody and congratulations to Sandy!

Sandy just after telling Paul that he ‘let’ Paul win their bout, otherwise he’d have had a clean sweep…

Sorry for the short report this month but time is against me!  Anyway, on what started as a quiet October night, for the monthly club competition that was delayed by a week, soon became a scorer’s nightmare, as more people gradually entered the fold as the night wore on.  From trying to figure out the running schedule for a four-man poule, we ended up with a full ten-man poule and catch up on the running schedule!  The format was a standard poule event, followed by a Direct Elimination (DE) round.  The poule matches were fought to five points each, however, if a double hit occurred, it was discounted and the match continued.  In the DE rounds, both the final sixteen and quarter finals were to be fought to five points each, the semi-finals to ten points each, but the final was the first to fifteen points. 

Rob started the evening as he meant to go on, winning his first match but failing in trying to keep a clean sheet, with Mark, Phil and Sandy all managing to score twice against him.  Henry, despite his late arrival managed seven out of nine wins, with Phil only just managing to beat him 5-4, but Robert showing no mercy with a 5-0 trouncing!  However, Sandy and Phil were hot on Henry’s heels, with both men also achieving seven wins apiece.  Peter, Mark and Steve all managed four wins each, while Claudia had three wins and, in the shock of the evening, Dave only managing two victories at the poule stage – clearly, he was already in holiday mode!  Bringing up the rear was the Jake/Torran duo, playing as one, who claimed a single victory. 

The following Tuesday saw the DE stage of the competition.  With Claudia out ill, it meant that there was only one match in the last sixteen; Steve versus Jake, with all other players granted a bye.  Steve managed the win, 5-4, in a very closely fought duel.  The last eight saw all matches played, again, to a match winning five points.  Dave, clearly in better form, was only just seen off by Rob at 5-4, Sandy was almost given his marching orders by Peter, but, just like Rob, scraped a 5-4 victory.  In the bottom half of the DE table, both matches were finished at 5-3, with Phil beating Mark and Henry putting an end to Steve’s run. 

The semi-finals were comprised of 2 x 3-minute rounds and/or the first to ten points.  Here, it was the young guns showing the old guard how it is done, with Rob beating Sandy 10-5, but in the other quarter-final, Phil defied his years, pushing young Henry all the way to the end, with Henry barely scraping the win at 10-9. 

The final was highly anticipated, but with Rob in his element on the 3 x 3-minute rounds and/or the first to fifteen points, it was inevitable that he would bring his A-game.  Having not had this format in the monthly competition for some months, Rob has been vocal on his desire for it to return and, in doing so, proved his worth with 15-3 victory over Henry.  Well done, Rob, but for the sake of a change of champion, we’ll have to go back to the one-hit format for next time!!!

Congratulations to all fencers who competed, it’s been a while since we’ve done a standard competition and, for all it’s worth, it looks like Rob is correct and this format really is his forte!  Well done to our champion, Robert, who will be double celebrating the win AND a big birthday in the same week!  Age is no barrier to this man!

KSC YOUTH EPEE DEVELOPMENT SERIES – AUTUMN 2025

On Sunday 5^th October at Kings School, Canterbury, both Aiden and Henry competed for Gravesham in the Kings Youth Epee Development Series competition.  It was the first out of club competition that both boys had competed in and they didn’t let their nerves overcome them and they did the club proud. 

There were 22 entrants overall and many were seasoned fencers and competitors.  This resulted in the first round of poules having two poules of 6 fencers and two poules of 5 fencers.  Aiden found himself in one of the poules of 6, whereas Henry had the poule of 5; with both of the Gravesham boys up against all Kings students and one other in each of their poules.  The poules consist of 3-minute rounds for each match, or the first to score 5 hits in each match.  

Aiden found himself in a very tough poule, with only one fencer, on paper, who was seeded less than him.  The matches, seemed to go true to form, with Aiden only winning one duel.   Sometimes the poules just pan out that way.  However, it must be noted that he scored hit in every single match, showing that he was more than worthy of his 16^th seeding going into the Direct Elimination (DE) round and, had Will commenting that the final scoring in the poules did not reflect the standard of Aiden’s fencing.

Henry didn’t fair much better, with the quality competition, in his group, although he did have the benefit of one less fencer.  With two fencers seeded way above him, it was no surprise that he won 2 and lost 2 of his duels.  Again, just like Aiden, he scored impressively in his other two matches, showing that both the Gravesham boys would take no prisoners and give it their all. 

After the poules, the gutsy performance of both boys was rewarded with Aiden seeded 16^th and Henry 12^th, going into the DE. 

Aiden was first up and was matched against the 17^th seed from the poules.  In this round, the fencers have 3 x 3-minute rounds and/or the first to score 12 (normally 15) hits; this Aiden managed comfortably with a 12-3 win and taking him into the last 16. 

Henry found himself in his first DE match against the number 21 seed from the poules.  Unfortunately for Henry, he was up against a fencer who had just been blown away by his coach for his lax attitude and, as such, Henry was faced with a voracious opponent!  The final score of 12 v 1, against Henry, was didn’t do justice to the fight that Henry put up, by the opponent was clearly buoyed by the telling off from his coach! 

In Aiden’s match for the final 16, he was up against the number one seed.  This is the problem with being seeded in the bottom half of the table post poules – you are up against the top seeds!  Unfortunately, Aiden was beaten 12 v 1, which was not a complete surprise against the calibre of the opponent, however, Aiden fought well and, managed to score a hit against his opponent, an achievement that two others had failed to manage on the day. 

Overall, Aiden placed 13^th and Henry placed 17^th, showing that with a few more outings under their belt and the first-time nerves over with, they could well be fencers to watch out for in the future.  Well done boys and keep up the, VERY, good fencing! 

If anybody would like to see the boys full results, please head to www.fencingtimelive.com and search for the event name and date.

Mark presenting the monthly trophy to Team A winners – Tadek, Claudia and Gully.

On the final, non-rainy, Tuesday of August, with the attendance having been good throughout the summer, it was decided to hold an August Monthly Club Competition.

We had four teams of three fencers (plus one extra fencer who subbed into one of the teams), competing in a team relay; but with a twist.

Each member of the team would begin their first fight with three lives.  Every time they received a hit they would lose a life.  So, if fencer A beat fencer B, 3-1, then fencer A would progress to their next fight with two lives (having lost a life because they were hit) and fencer B would be out, leaving his other two team mates to try and survive with their three lives each and, overcome their opponents.  Simple…really!

On piste one, we had Team A of Gully, Claudia and Tadek, taking on Team B of Dave, Sandy, Kevin and Ryan.  Gully and Dave were head-to-head at 2-2, when a double hit saw them knock each other out, as they had both lost their three lives.  Next up, Ryan beat Claudia 3-1, meaning Tadek was the only team member remaining for Team A, first taking on Kevin and then, having beaten Kevin 3-1, facing Ryan, with both fencers only having two lives remaining, having both lost a life from a previous bout.  It was a close duel, with Tadek taking the spoils 2-1 and meaning Team A being crowned champions. 

On piste 2, Team C of Mark, Henry and Peter, took on Team D of Oliver, Phil and Steve.  Oliver knocked out Mark, retaining his three lives for his next bout, but his teammate Phil, was knocked out by Henry, however, Phil did manage to take a life from Henry.  Henry’s winning ways rubbed off on his final teammate, Peter.  Peter overcame Steve, but he, too, didn’t manage it completely unscathed, getting hit once and therefore losing a life.  Team D was therefore left with only Oliver (and his three lives), having to hold the fort against Team C’s Henry and Peter, with their two lives apiece.  Oliver fenced well, firstly taking out Henry from Team with a 2-1 win and then beating Peter 2-0 to make Team D victorious, and, finishing with two lives intact. 

In the third-place play-off and the final, all competitors started with their three lives each again.  In the third-place play-off, Team B took on Team C.  Mark had a magnificent fight beating his car buddy, Dave, 3-1 and knocking out the gently assassin and progressing himself, with two lives intact.  Sandy took over from Ryan and beat Henry 3-2 in a thrilling match, knocking out the fairly newly married man, but only just managing it and retaining only one life.  Next up Peter took Kevin, knocking the elder statesman out and retaining his three lives, however, they were not needed.  With only Sandy remaining for Team B, with only one life, it was always going to be an uphill struggle and, Mark landed the one hit that earned Team C of Mark, Peter and Henry, the third place, leaving Team B of Sandy, Dave, Kevin and Ryan picking up the wooden spoon. 

The final comprised Team A of Gully, Claudia and Tadek taking on Team D of Oliver, Phil and Steve.  Gully took the early lead for Team A, beating Steve 3-0 and knocking Steve out. Claudia held her ground well against Phil, narrowly losing 3-2, being knocked out, but in the process, ensuring Phil progressed with only one life.  Tadek lost to Oliver, but managed to take one of Oliver’s lives, leaving Gully to fight both men, luckily having all three lives remaining.  First up he took Phil’s only remaining life, knocking him out, but Phil had managed to land the first hit, meaning Gully versus Oliver was a two lives each apiece affair.  In a very close fought duel, Gully brought Team A to victory with a 2-1 win over Oliver. 

Team D of Steve, Phil and Oliver were named runners-up, with Team A of Claudia, Tadek and Gully crowned Champions of the August Monthly Club Competition.

It was an interesting competition and hopefully the scorer will be quicker on the uptake next time, when it comes to lives remaining!  Well done to Team A, our champions and we look forward to September’s competition – you never know we might just go back to the standard format for one competition this year (and maybe Rob will make a welcome return!).

Well done everybody and good luck for the next one!

Winner, Henry, being presented with the trophy by Mark

With the scorer being given a bonus week break, having just returned from her holidays, the July monthly club competition was finally held on the first Tuesday of August.  With a bumper number of attendees (14), despite it being the school holidays, it was decided to compete for the trophy using a one-hit format.  Every fencer would fence every other fencer in a poule unique, with each duel lasting one minute.  The fencer to land the first hit would win the bout, with double hits voiding the match and neither fencer getting a ‘win.’  The fencer with the most wins overall would be crowned the July competition winner.

Fighting over two pistes we slowly, but surely, made our way through the poule unique.  The bottom seven fencers of the piste (Phil, Richard, Steve, Sandy, Claudia, Sofia and Henry) all managed bouts against each other, as did the top half of the piste (Mark, Dave, Jaina, Rohan, Gully, Kev and Peter) before they eventually fought each other.

Gully took an early lead and, once Henry eventually arrived, he soon managed to match Gully’s winning streak.  Their winning streaks soon put targets on their backs and, for the spectators, it was the perceived underdogs who they were rooting for.  With Henry’s late arrival, he was always on ‘catch up’ for matches completed, so the momentum remained with him, with his matches being closer together.  Gully, on the other hand, with time to rest between bouts, found his concentration slipping.  Peter and Sofia were the first to have taken the match against the vivacious guest fencer.  Henry was the final fencer to ‘put the boot in,’ ensuring that Gully won only nine of his thirteen fights.

Sandy and Phil were the quiet assassins of the evening (yes, Sandy was quiet ON the piste!).  Steadily making their way through bout after bout, they were unfairly overshadowed by Gully and Henry, as they were both consistent with Phil managing seven wins and Sandy eight wins overall.  Next up were Sofia, Richard, Dave and Rohan with five wins apiece, with this format always seeming to accommodate Sofia and Richard’s style of fencing more than most.  Also, a special mention to Rohan, who was the only person that evening to beat Henry, although Sofia did manage a double hit with Henry, thus voiding the match for them both.

With four wins each we had Mark, Steve and Claudia, with Jaina and Peter finishing with three wins apiece and, finally, Kev bringing up the rear.

So, congratulations to Henry, who managed eleven wins, one draw and only one loss on the evening, cementing his title as the July club competition winner.  Married life (yes, I’m still milking this glorious occasion, Henry!), seems to be very much suiting young Henry.  He seems to be a man very much at ease with life and, very happy with it at the moment and, this is very much shining through in his fencing.  Can he continue with this ‘honeymoon period’ in his life, or will we see another champion crowned next month?  Only time will tell!

Many congratulations Henry – another monthly competition title to your name.  A ‘well done’ also to all those who competed too – a great turn out and some great hits landed as well.  Let’s see what format you’ll come up with in the future.  See you all next month and well-done Henry.

Final placings results are also based upon countback.

Phil also getting in on the presenting act- because we all love Henry…or is he just trying to steal the trophy?

Team A Winners  – Dave, Henry and Claudia – being presented the trophy by Mark.

June’s report will be a quick affair!  There were only six fencers in attendance mainly due to the very hot weather, but as always, compounded by work issues and transport issues.  It was decided to run a quick fencing relay with two teams of three.  With Claudia deciding that she was teaming up with Dave and Henry (Team A), it was left to Steve, Peter and Mark (Team B) to rise to the challenge. 

Team A took a quick lead, with Henry moving them into pole position with a 5-2 win against Mark.  With Claudia and Dave following on, but narrowly losing their bouts 5-6, they managed to maintain their lead.  Peter, clearly not warmed up enough, had a shocker of a round against Henry, not managing to score at all.  Claudia was narrowly beaten 5-6 again; this time by Steve, but it was enough to keep Team A out in front.  Dave won a close fought battle against Mark, winning 5-3 and keeping Team A in front.  However, it was clearly Henry’s night because for the second time he managed to keep a clean sheet against Steve and, surely giving Team A an unassailable 35-23 lead overall. 

With Mark holding Claudia to a 5-5 draw and Peter losing by one hit to Dave, it meant that Team A came out as the emphatical winners on the night, with a 45-32 scoreline.  Well done to all for making it a fun evening and, just for making it to fencing in that heat!  A big congratulations to Team A for their victory.

I think that means we come to a pause, for the summer months, in the monthly club competition.  We look forward to seeing you all return, hopefully, much cooler for the next competition in September!  In the meantime, have a wonderful summer and get plenty of rest for the next one!

Winner, Tadek, receiving the trophy from Mark.

It has been an unusually busy time for the writer of these little ditties and, as such, this month’s competition seems to have passed me by with little memory of events! On top of that, with 15 fencers arriving and, all competing in the one-poule, one-hit knockout format for this competition, it was all the writer/scorer could do to keep on top of the barrage of information on the night; so my sincere condolences to Tadek, the winner of this month’s competition for the very light report! My condolences are amplified, especially as Tadek is still a junior and is more deserving having taken on and beaten so many of the esteemed stalwart adults of the club!

Overall Tadek, Ryan and Gully all managed 9 wins apiece, but with Tadek being a club member and not a guest, he was crowned the May champion. Although, I’m sure many of the other members will argue that he had an advantage as left-hander!

Claudia, Sofia and Henry were next in line with 8 wins apiece, but with Claudia and Sofia tying for the place above Henry on countback. So, with Tadek, Claudia and Sofia taking the top places, it just goes to show that our junior section is going from strength to strength and, that is despite them all being in the middle of their exams. Next up was Paul, followed by Dave and Rohan who tied in 8th. From then on we had Ellora, Peter, Mark, Steve, then Richard and finally, declaring he’d had the worst evening ever, was Phil.

Amazingly, given the numbers, we managed to complete the competition in one evening, although the scorer is glad to be having a few weeks respite.

A huge congratulations to Tadek for his win and best of luck to all of you for the next competition at the end of June.